Wheel – rail interface, wheelset and track dimensions, equivalent conicity, lateral movement of wheelset on straight track
Wheel – rail contact stresses, Hertz theory, adhesion and adhesion force, train resistances
Vehicle in curve, Vogel theory, Heumann theory, forces on wheelset, derailment condition
Track loads, vertical, lateral and longitudinal forces, influence of higher operation speed
Static track design, rail stresses, sleeper stresses, vertical stresses on ballast bed and formation, computer models
The rail, manufacturing, welding, testing and acceptance, rail failures, rail grinding
Theory of continuous welded rail. Longitudinal forces, stability of continuous welded rail.
Modern railway track structures.
Dynamic track design. Principles, simple dynamic model of track wheel interaction. Dynamic models of track, critical train velocity, dynamic response on vehicle, wheelset, transfer of vibrations between wheel and rail.
Switches and crossing, types, turnout parts. Geometry of set of switches and common crossings. Manufactured types and notation.
The single turnout, stock rail, switch rail (blade), common and crossings, sleepers, fastenings systems. Operating and locking systems. Crossings and slip points.
Turnout collections. Cross overs, junctions, sets of turnouts. Turnouts in curves.
High speed turnouts, development of new turnouts structures.